Here continueth some old time wisdom on following the natural seasonality of our planet and our bodies to enhance your health and energy levels and improve your ability to fight off illness. Let’s talk about Spring for our brothers and sisters who reside in the Southern Hemisphere.
Spring – Exercise
In Classical Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the Liver. The Liver is one of the most important organs for detoxification. It also plays a starring role in converting the food you eat into usable energy.
If your health is compromised in any way, you eat an unhealthy diet, you drink too much, or your breathing is not up to snuff (pun intended), then you are placing a massive load on your liver. It’s important to take advantage of the spring to detox.
If you need to lose weight, spring is an excellent time to do so, because your body’s natural chemistry and metabolism will support your efforts. As the days get longer, your energy and metabolism increase. You should transition into more vigorous physical activity, and your Qigong and breathing exercises should include plenty of more robust movements – like the traditional Liver Daoyin exercise you can learn in the Wu Xing / Five Elements Daoyin program.
Spring – Nutrition
In traditional medical and health practices, early Spring is associated with a natural cleansing phase. As winter concludes, your body naturally wants to lose weight. It wants to detoxify and shed the old tissue, built up toxins, and excess fat stored over the winter.
Traditionally, this is a time of fasting and consuming lots of clean foods, such as fruits and vegetables, preferably raw or lightly steamed, as well as juices, which help detoxify the system.
Spring is the time to sweat and breathe hard, release toxins and air out the lungs, and eat “clean”. It’s also the time to celebrate your rebirth, and the rebirth of the earth.
Remember, synchronizing your physical activity and nutrition to the seasonal changes of body, mind, and earth is a powerful way to promote excellent health and help avoid illness and disease.
There’s one more area I’d like to cover, which we will get into in our next post.
You Can Do It!
Dr. Karen